Shimuzu tires....3 racing steering linkage..tamiya front uprights because the motor heats up the plastic one beside it and it bends.

A foam bumper couldn't hurt either

Not sure on shocks.....Monkey. ...any suggestions for him?

For the 3Racing steering are you talking about this?

As for the uprights, damn those things cost a third of the car! Even with a mild motor like the silver can or Sport Tuned it melts them? Does it happen quickly or over months?

Remembering that I am not competing, are you recommending the Shimuzu tires because the stock ones just plain stink? There is a soft, medium and hard compound-- would say the mediums be a good compromise of traction and tire life?

I just realized that a square lipo doesn't fit in the chassis (at least from threads I'm seeing from a few years ago). Is this the case or is there some mod I can do to fit them? Is it a better idea to just buy one of the cheaper Peak round lipo packs?

Thanks for the help!

For just bashing I recommend getting either an oil diff or ball diff or the MR diff (adding extra shims inside the factory diff) and oil dampers. Those are the 2 critical items. bearings...I've found on my near-stock M05 that my kid runs, it's not a requirement. If you're tight on cash skip the bearings and get a nice high torque servo saver instead. You can add bearings later anyways.

I have a round lip....got 2 reedy batteries. Still going strong. Get a battery drain warning of you can for lipo because discharged to much they die

Shimuzu last longer and are tougher....and cheaper!!!

That is exactly the 3 racing steering linkage! Amazing difference

The stock can can even heat it up enough and a few crashes it can bend.

53619 is the Super Mini CVA dampers. They're pretty good, but you'll need to buy 2 sets. The current top of the line is the 52291 "big bore" dampers. They cost more, but are a nice part to have.

Thanks guys for the advice. Can't wait to get it and start the build. I've owned several Tamiya kits but never a touring car.

For gearing a silver can or Sport Tuned, is the standard kit gearing the best option? I see that 3Racing offers a "fast gear set". Is that of any use for my application?

The speed gears you commonly see available are crappy, whether they're 3Racing, Spice or whoever else makes them. There is a company in the UK making very nice individual Delrin ones, but their name escapes me. I think Muchmore UK does distribution for them.

In any case, speed gears aren't worth it unless you're bashing outdoors, or running on a very long and sweeping indoor track. Also, you'll want to run a SERIOUS fan to keep things from melting.

If you are just bashing around in front of your house then there is nothing that is absolutely necessary on the m05. Just enjoy it and hop it up with a specific purpose in mind when you are ready to do so.

I have all the goodies saved on Ebay but I am going to likely start with bearings and a Peak lipo and go from there.

One thing is for sure, I do really like that there is so much available and I can see before the summer is out that I'll likely have spent too much on this kit!

If you enjoy driving it and take pride in making the car perform better then it's all worth it. I have 2 kids and no time for a real race car so as a mechanic it's as close as I'll get right now lol. If you enjoy driving the car for how they drive then you cant spend too much IMO

After 4 weeks with no mini racing the summer series started today. Changes to the car since my last race were TA03 ball diff, full Tamiya steering setup, Jazrider front hubs, a bit of rewiring, foam bumper and 2.4ghz in place of the FX stuff.

Upgrades to the driver was 4 weeks of racing GT12 and using every practice session available on race days.

Seems to have done the trick, for the first time I finished on the same lap as the first place guy. I lost a king pin in practice but that same guy gave me a spare so I could carry on racing.

In heat one I noticed I was a little slower down the straight than one of the other guys (it's silver can so I figured it was setup), first thing I thought of was toe out, so I reduced it by a turn on the turnbuckle. Car was a bit quicker and a bit harder to drive but I improved average and fastest lap. On the last heat I got taken out and popped the turnbuckles off right in front on the drivers stand, the marshall gave me the car to fix and I had it back on 46 seconds slower than my best but back on anyway. From heat 1 to heat three my fastest lap was over 2 seconds quicker I think.

The final was a procession, we only ended up with 4 taking the grid, there was no over taking just the top three lapping the youngster in 4th place. So I got my first 3rd place in a final, not that great considering but I am 100% a better driver than I was 4 weeks ago.

Practice is everything!!!
Make as many laps as you can!!!

I've got 2 kids myself (4&6 yo boys). I do race once a week in the winter (off-road) but in the summer I don't race much. For me this car is just something fun to take to a nearby parking lot, set up a course and have fun for an hour or so. I'm trying to get an off-road buddy interested but he is resisting so far...

I already couldn't stand it and ordered the oil shocks, spring set, bearings, alloy steering posts and the alloy tie rod. Everything is coming from Japan/HK, so that should give me some time to order the lipo and figure out what servo I am going to run.

CTRJ- those oil dampers are a great investment for your M05. :D I still recommend you get a few extra shims in the factory diff to make it stiffer. You won't need super stiff LSD action for outdoor driving if just for fun. A little friction is good so you don't waste power off the inner tire while you accelerate out of a turn or through some S curves.